Brake rotors and State Inspection

[Scra99tch]

Your last paragraph, matches my thinking. All rotors are made this way and the pads never hang off the end. Therefore they all will generate a lip. The swept area of the pads is really nice looking. Only thing I can think of is the back side isn't good. I'll find out soon.

If it's out of spec, I have no problem replacing it. Just don't want to be taken advantage of. If they're right, I'll tell them so. If not I'll ask for a written statement describing the issue and relevant regulations.

Maybe I was having an off day yesterday. We'll see what I find.

Same thing here. My wife usually comes back from inspection saying brakes need to be replaced. It usually the ridge. Luckily I will take a 5 lb sledge and hammer it off. I'll do the inspection for anything else out of the ordinary and its usually just the ridge.

The few times I have had problems with rotors is some glazing which I've taken care of on my lathe.

It just the dealers working on such small margins that they try to drum up business, its kinda sleezy but your best bet is to take it to another shop.

Problems with inspections is they probably only get 50-60% of the cost of the inspection so not really worth their "time" especially when they know a handfull of people may know someone who can do it cheaper.

I had my Tacoma inspected and they said it was leaking from the rack and pinion boot. Turns out it was leaking but contained in the accordion boot. So no physical leaks. They said it needed to be replaced and was a $2400 dollar job. I was able to save half that by doing it myself (almost wished I just paid them).

 

[WobblyHand]

I had my Tacoma inspected and they said it was leaking from the rack and pinion boot. Turns out it was leaking but contained in the accordion boot. So no physical leaks. They said it needed to be replaced and was a $2400 dollar job. I was able to save half that by doing it myself (almost wished I just paid them).

I know about jobs like this! Sometimes these kinds of jobs are worth farming out, due to the amount of work and or mess.

The state only allows a $50 payment for inspections. Shop rates are higher than that. So they probably err towards generating more work for themselves, just to break even. It's not a good system, at least for consumers.

 

[woodchucker]

No mandated inspections where I live. Two weeks ago, I had my tires replaced and paid for a brake inspection. They posted a warning that my front brakes were approaching the end of their service life but the the rear brake pads and rotors required replacing. I ordered new pads and rotors and a week ago, I replaced them. One side was perfectly fine but the other side was definitely worn. The wear pattern indicated that the inside pad was cocked causing the pad to wear unevenly and subsequently result in uneven wear of the rotor. Total cost was just over $100. I had to make a special tool to retract the caliper piston but that's why we have machines. The most difficult part of the repair was removing the first rotor. It was stuck well and good and no amount of pounding was going to release it. Adjourning to the internet and searching for suck rotors, I found a procedure that worked and what had amounted to a couple of hours of heating, WD40, and pounding was reduced to about five minutes. Yhe second side was completed in under 1/2 hr, start to finish.

Regarding the raised area on the perimeter of the rotor, that is found on every rotor that has seen some miles. The pads are designed so they do not extend to the outside of the rotor and, as a result, the bare cast iron rusts. The iron oxide occupies a greater volume resulting in the raised area. This is of no consequence other than sometimes making it difficult to remove the caliper.. The end of service life of a rotor is determined by the minimum thickness specification or the presence of rough corrosion patches on the rotor's working surfaces.

I usually put screw holes in my plates if they don't exist, so I can use jack screws to remove a stuck rotor. Nothing worse than being stuck with a stuck on rotor.

 

[woodchucker]

In CA, the land of smog inspections, we have test only stations for this specific reason.

They cannot do repairs, so no incentive.

Plus ODBII is almost all automatic with computer, just a few things that get visual check.

The automotive consumer protection board is very aggressive at going after the bad places too.

Ask for a written document explaining in clear terms why it failed, then, ask for them to show you the regulation indicating failure.

This falls under a human measurement or visual judgment area, but the inspection point should have clear language.

If it passes the manufacturer instructions then something not correct.

If they cannot show you the document that shows the indication they claim is a fail. Then it is not a fail.

It is an "upsell"...

Report them to your consumer protection department!

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

same here in NJ, except they eliminated all safety testing which sucks, it used to prevent ejeets with out brakes and with headlights that are aligned to blind.

 

[pontiac428]

I've come so close to spending the night in the brig for arguing with inspectors that it's not funny. Police standing by, hand resting on baton watching my every movie and all. Rules are rules, but don't try your delirious interpretation on me, foo! Brakes were dyno tested front and rear, no inspector is afforded the liability of touching lug nuts to gauge rotors.

Sorry I have no useful advice other than to use a shill address in a softer jurisdiction for vehicle registration. As long as license, registration, and insurance docs match, it works. I did it for years, and it lowered my blood pressure. Now I'm in the same boat as @Reddinr, and it's a beautiful thing.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I know about jobs like this! Sometimes these kinds of jobs are worth farming out, due to the amount of work and or mess.

This is where Youtube comes in. There have been several jobs on my '88 CRX that I considered doing myself until I watched a YT video on the procedure. It also makes me appreciate my local shop when he charges me for two hours and I know he spent four.

 

[woodchucker]

Before they eliminated the safety checks, the vehicle was driven over a grate with pressure sensors of some kind and all four wheels were checked for hard braking at once. You couldn't argue with that. It either passed or failed. No human evaluation.

 

[rwdenney]

I think you need to find an independent (non-dealership) mechanic who is a safety inspection station, and I would assume (hope) those are allowed in NH. Then, develop a relationship with a local mechanic. Give them enough work to establish yourself as a good customer. Dealerships NEVER measure customer loyalty, and they don't usually pay mechanics the same rate as independent shops (because they keep more overhead for themselves).

In Virginia, certified inspectors are usually the more experienced mechanic who has been promoted to doing inspections, and he isn't usually shopping for work. I've gotten good advice from inspectors in the past--"this is legal but you need to look into it." That was for a torn boot on a CV joint on one of my Toyota trucks, a leaking hydraulic steering rack on my Ford (which is a project for this year), and in one relevant case, rear brakes on another Ford that were showing a lot of wear.

(Usually, for worn brakes, I buy a pair of rotors and a set of pads off ebay and throw them on--usually takes an hour tops and rarely exceeds two bills for the pair of wheels in question. Now that I have a trued-up fixture plate for the lathe, I'm going to be turning my own rotors. The aftermarket rotors I've been getting have as much as 20 thou of runout, and I know I can get that down to one or two, and I think I can get at least one additional cycle out of my rotors before scrapping them.)

The only visual inspection without disassembly possible for brakes is pad wear. If I catch pad wear early enough, I'll just throw some pads in the calipers and call it a day. The rotor has to be fairly badly scored for the new pads not to wear in quickly in my experience. If they are saying the rotors are not up to snuff, ask them what the manufacturer states is the minimum rotor thickness. If they can't tell you, then ask for the inspection report showing the specific reason for the failure in writing so that you can address it with "your usual mechanic". But this will be your last visit to that shop for inspections.

Rick "three of five vehicles now have antique vehicle plates and don't require inspections " Denney

 

[RJSakowski]

I usually put screw holes in my plates if they don't exist, so I can use jack screws to remove a stuck rotor. Nothing worse than being stuck with a stuck on rotor.

That would work except for the fact that this was the first brake job since the car was new. I actually did use screws to pop the rotor. I inserted two 7/16" bolts through the caliper bracket with nuts between the bracket and the rotor. There was some apprehension in doing this and I went slowly and carefully but I figured if I broke the bracket, I would just have to replace it. Anyway, the rotor easily popped off. It surprised me considering the amount of pounding I had done with no evidence of breaking free.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

I had forgotten how much of a pain that inspections are. Had inspections in ME and CA. In CA, if you failed emissions, you had to spend at least $xx to try to fix it, then you could get an exemption. In ME, it was always the rust-throughs that got me since my cars there were pretty old. Lots of bondo and primer...

Moved to rural WA. No more emissions, no more inspections. I'm trusted to take care of my own cars here.

WA figures your motivation will be staying alive.